The invention relates to updating data between mobile devices belonging to a given user group.
The use of electric devices and applications is becoming more and more popular. A typical electric application is a calendar application used in work sites, in the personal computers of employees. Calendar applications in computers are quick and easy to use. In addition, the entries made in the calendar are for example in a work community visible for other members as well, so that the free and already reserved hours of a certain person can be rapidly checked in the calendar application. For instance, when negotiating a meeting, it is not necessary to contact all participants separately, but it suffices that their calendars can be accessed. In preparation, possibly suitable points of time can be seen directly through the calendar application. New calendar entries can also be transmitted and synchronized between the devices of the users. Typically the receiver has yet to accept the new calendar entry, before it is registered in the receiver application. Altered data related to several persons can be updated at the same time for all persons concerned.
Electronic calendar applications are common in portable devices, too. In these, the updating of data is not as straightforward as between stationary devices. Applications provided in portable computers are typically updated for example by means of a log file located in the employer's server, when the portable computer is on the employer's network. Corresponding automatic updating cannot be realized between personal portable devices. However, portable communicators include more and more versatile features, and their use is continuously growing. A mobile device can be updated by means of a given stationary device located for instance in a personal work station. Yet mobile devices, and their use as the only work station, are becoming more and more popular, and updating through a stationary device is then not efficient. The updating frequency depends on the user, and the passage of information remains user-specific. There also are servers offering for example a calendar application that is common for several users. The users can update their personal devices on the basis of common information registered on the server. These so-called intelligent servers are not, however, available for small user groups. The updating function between smaller user groups is carried out by transmitting the altered data separately for each receiver. This kind of data updating is inefficient, time-consuming and susceptible to errors, because the manual updating operations are dependent on the user performing the update.